Hopscotch bringing Japanese flair to Uptown

Still more action in Uptown: Due to open next month in the former Chef Edwards Barb-B-Que is a creative concept that blends a 50’s diner with Japanese cuisine.

Named Hopscotch, it’s the brainchild of Jenny Schwarz and chef Kyle Itani. The pair met as part of the opening team at Yoshi’s San Francisco. His training is almost exclusively Japanese, but Schwarz describes his food as Hopscotch as “playing with this idea of bringing in Japanese technique and philosophy, but to a San Francisco Northern Californian-type cuisine.”

“It’s not Japanese food, it’s just the food of this area,” she continues. What that means is items that blur cultural lines, like yuzu meringue pie.

But the other intriguing part of the equation is the 40-seat room. It’s the former Chef Edwards space, and they’ve kept many of 1950s diner-esque elements, including the red chairs and counter.

And how about that name?

“It just sort of popped into my head,” says Schwarz. “Originally the name was for more of a bar concept. We’re both beer and scotch lovers … but it’s also playful and conveys the mood of the restaurant.”

“We want it to be a fun experience, make it approachable and make people feel good. That’s the point of a meal, right?”

Hopscotch: 1915 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

Update:Grub St writes in to say that they filed a liquor license last month.